Integración y producción de espacialidades transfronterizas: un estudio a partir del turismo en la Circumpuna*

Abstract

This article proposes an analyzes of the transboundary integration initiatives that emerged from the appraisal of tourism in the Circumpuna sector (Argentina, Bolivia and Chile) in the last two decades. The process of integration was led by a heterogeneous set of local and subnational stakeholders, who sought to influence current tourism practices. The work focuses on the spatial dimension of transboundary integration, questioning the way in which this process creates, reinforces or transforms centralities and peripheries. A qualitative analysis of the content of various documentary sources was carried out, which were complemented with interviews with key informants, who are representative of the different integration initiatives. It was possible to ascertain that tourist integration positions the border as a resource and space of opportunities for different stakeholders, who seek to control tourist flows and capture some of the associated economic benefits. However, cross-border integration leads to friction with State-centric constructions that still shape national borders, and also underlines a conflict between the different possible forms of integration, creating new forms of fragmentation and differentiation.